Breaking News, July 13

Foot over bridge damaged due to extremely heavy rainfall and flash floods in the hilly areas of Rajouri district. 

Two bike-borne assailants fired bullets at former Kannada actor Shivaranjan Bolannava at Bailhongal in Belagavi district last night. The former actor escaped unhurt. Police suspect a long-standing property dispute to be the motive behind the crime.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte and discussed bilateral ties with the counterpart. 

All schools and colleges to remain closed in Gujarat's Navsari tomorrow in wake of rainfall and flood-like situation.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar speaking on the characteristics of a soft power said, "What countries do with soft power depends on the power of the country. It could be a smooth osmosis process or you could have an aggressive push. Soft power is about creating narratives, making images and setting standards."

"As Foreign Minister, I regard it today as absolutely central to rebalancing the world. We have seen in history that powerful countries that failed in soft power met political reversals. Connecting through culture is central to rebalancing and works to India’s advantage," Jaishankar said.

"The reality of this world we live in today is that for all the nice talks, hegemonism exists...You can’t have a skewed distorted legacy at home. There has to be a balance between what we project outside & what we're at home... We're faith respecting society & rule-abiding polity," he added.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Ajay Ramesh Nawandar, allegedly an aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim's close associate Chhota Shakeel, in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 34,615 crores by DHFL, sources said.

Soft power is a term of recent coinage but the concept is not new to India. It is deeply rooted in Indian cultural ethos. India's power depends on two factors which are sanskrit language and Sanskriti, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said on Wednesday.

"Vishwa Guru is not a title or position. It's a role and we feel that this role has been performed by India in the past and now we are aspiring that we are able to revive that kind of situation," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh on 16th July 2022 and inaugurate the Bundelkhand Expressway at Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district, PMO said on Wednesday. 

Four Pakistani nationals were repatriated to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border, Amritsar. They had entered India illegally. They are being released after completion of their sentence, said Arunpal Singh, Protocol Officer.

At least 4 dead in a mudslide incident at an underpass construction site near the Pradhankhunta Railway Station in Dhanbad on Tuesday night.

India is celebrating 75 years of independence. On the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, it has been decided that from 15th July 2022 till the next 75 days, citizens above 18 years of age will be given booster doses free of cost, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said. READ MORE

A special investigation team probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots here arrested four more people who allegedly were part of a mob that had set a house ablaze here during the violence, resulting in several deaths, according to an official. As many as 127 people were killed in the riots in Kanpur. The special investigation team (SIT) has so far arrested 19 people in connection with the violence that took place following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in Delhi. The fresh arrests were made on Monday and Tuesday in five cases, one of which was lodged with the Naubasta police and the rest four with the Govind Nagar police.

At least six people were swept away following heavy rains in Maharashtra's Nashik district over the last 24 hours and the body of one of them was found so far, officials said on Wednesday. Heavy showers lashed Peth, Surgana and Trimbakeshwar talukas of the district on Tuesday. In Nashik city, showers were back on Wednesday after taking a break for some hours the previous day. A six-year-old girl was swept away on Tuesday while she and her uncle were crossing the Alandi river in Dindori taluka. Her uncle swam to safety, but the minor died, a police official said. In Mauje Palshi Khurd village of Peth taluka, one person was also swept away in the Godavari river, government officials said.

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People in the 18-59 age group will get free precaution doses of the Covid vaccine at government vaccination centres under a 75-day special drive likely to begin from July 15, official sources said on Wednesday. The drive, aimed at boosting the uptake of Covid precaution doses, will be held as part of the government's Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India's Independence, they said. So far, less than 1 per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose. However, around 26 per cent of the estimated 16 crore eligible population aged 60 and above as well as healthcare and frontline workers have received the booster dose, an official source said.

For the third consecutive year, no function was held to commemorate the Martyrs’ Day in Kashmir to pay homage to 22 Kashmiri people who were killed by the army of a Dogra ruler on this day in 1931, officials said on Wednesday. July 13 was a public holiday in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and a grand official function was held every year on this day where the chief minister or the governor would be the chief guest. However, the administration dropped the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020, after the abrogation of Article 370 and splitting of the erstwhile state into two union territories by the Centre on August 5, 2019. No function was held at the Martyrs’ graveyard in the city while no holiday was observed for the third time on Wednesday, the officials said.

An 82-year-old woman was mauled to death by her pet dog at her house in the Qaiserbagh area of the city, police said Wednesday. According to police, Sushila Tripathi, a retired school teacher, was on the roof of her house Tuesday morning when her pet Pit Bull attacked her. The domestic help found her lying in a pool of blood and informed her son about it. Police said. The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced her dead, following which her body was sent for post mortem examination, they said. The woman lived with her younger son. The family had two pet dogs, including the Pit Bull that attacked her. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Qaiserbagh, Yogesh Kumar said, "One Sushila Tripathi, 82, of Bengali Tola locality was attacked by her pet dog. Her body was recovered and sent for post mortem examination. We are coordinating with the officials of Lucknow Municipal Corporation regarding the incident."

Protesters marched to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office on Flower Street, calling for his resignation after the news came in that President Rajapaksa had fled to the Maldives. The Police fired tear gas on protesters who had gathered near the PM office. The protesters broke through a barricade despite tear gas and stormed the prime minister's office. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already said he was willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over.

The government-formed committee to formulate new guidelines for electric vehicles (EVs) is set to submit its report this month, sources said on Wednesday. Alarmed at the growing EV fires in the country, the government had formed a committee to bring in standard operating procedure (SOP) on battery certification and quality control in order to help EV makers develop efficient and safe products for the consumers. The committee has experts from the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, Naval Science and Technological Laboratory in Andhra Pradesh, and the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, among others. The panel has been tasked with formulating an SOP for battery certification and testing and validation of key battery components, sources said.

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Uttarakhand, a popular shooting destination among filmmakers, could soon have a film city of its own with state government officials being tasked with identifying a suitable piece of land in the hill state for the project. Special Principal Secretary Abhinav Kumar held a meeting with officials of the information department at Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami camp office here on Tuesday. He also asked officials to prepare an action plan for building film industry-related infrastructure and creating basic shooting and production facilities, according to a press release. Besides, Kumar directed officials to consult a national-level film training institute and work towards establishing its branch in Uttarakhand.

Sri Lanka on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on a military jet in the face of a public revolt against his government for mishandling the country’s economy. The Prime Minister’s office informed the media organisations that the state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province had been imposed. Meanwhile, protesters marched to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office, urging him to resign after the news came in that President Rajapaksa had left for the Maldives. They broke through a barricade despite tear gas before storming the prime minister's office, demanding his resignation. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has already said he was willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear next week a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the matters were filed long back but were yet to be listed for hearing. “The girls are losing out on studies,” Bhushan said. The bench said, “It will be listed sometime next week". 

The flood flow in river Godavari reached 15 lakh cusecs on Wednesday morning even as the second warning signal continued. However, the flood is apparently decreasing, according to State Disaster Management Authority Managing Director BR Ambedkar. "By evening the intensity could lessen but still people in vulnerable areas should remain cautious," Ambedkar said in a release. Close to 10,000 people from tens of habitations in Alluri Sitarama Raju, Konaseema and Eluru districts are continuing in relief camps opened by the government. NDRF and SDRF teams have been positioned in vulnerable habitations to tackle any emergency. 

Luxury carmaker Audi has expanded its product range in India with the launch of the latest version of its flagship model A8 L priced at Rs 1.29 crore (ex-showroom). In a late evening event here on Tuesday, the German automaker introduced the fourth generation of the model in two variants Celebration Edition and Technology, priced at Rs 1.29 crore and Rs 1.57 crore, respectively. Both trims could be personalised as per the requirements of the customer. While the Celebration Edition is available as a five-seater, the Technology variant is in four and five-seat configurations.

The rupee started the session on a flat note against the US dollar on Wednesday amid a rally in the equity markets and easing retail inflation. A strong greenback against major currencies and foreign capital outflows kept investors cautious in early trading, forex dealers said. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened strong at 79.55 against the American dollar, then turned volatile to trade in a tight range of 79.53 to 79.60. The domestic unit was trading at 79.58 against the greenback in early deals, registering a gain of just 1 paisa over the last close.

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India has criticised the UN General Assembly’s decision to roll over the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on Security Council reform to the next UNGA session, terming it a "wasted opportunity” to instill a breath of life into a process that has shown no signs of life or growth in over four decades. The 193-member General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a draft oral decision on Security Council reform, rolling over the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process to the 77th session of the UN General Assembly that begins in September this year. Chargé d'Affaires at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Ambassador R Ravindra said India has been consistent in its position that the roll-over decision of the IGN simply cannot be reduced to a "mindless technical exercise.”

The Manipur government has ordered closure of all schools till next week due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases. In an official order issued on Tuesday, Schools Education Commissioner H Gyan Prakash said the test positivity ratio was over 15 per cent in the state. All schools- government, state-aided, private schools affiliated to other boards- will be closed with immediate effect till July 24 in public interest, the order stated. Many schools were scheduled to reopen after the summer vacation on July 16, it said. Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said earlier that the government would discuss the safety of the health for the children below 12 years as there was no effective Covid-19 vaccine for them in the prevailing situation in Manipur. 

COVID-19 has reached an "endemic stage" though it has not fully come to an end yet and citizens should continue to wear masks for protection against coronavirus and other infectious diseases, a health official in Telangana said on Tuesday. State Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said there was no need to fear coronavirus and added that it could be said it has become like a seasonal disease. "What we appeal to people through you is that we need not fear about corona in the days to come. Though it has not fully disappeared, it has already reached an endemic stage. It can be said that it has become like a seasonal disease," he added.

Alert troops of the army on Wednesday foiled an infiltration bid by terrorists along the line of control (LoC) in J&K's Poonch district. A defence ministry statement said, "During the midnight hours of 12/13 July 2022, there was an infiltration attempt along LoC in the Poonch sector (J&K) which was suitably foiled by our alert troops." Further details will be shared later, added the statement.

The AAP government here has inked a pact with Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology-Delhi to set up a centre for sustainable mobility, a senior official said on Tuesday. Delhi Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said the issues of urban mobility will be addressed in partnership with the academia. "Memorandum of understanding signed today with @IIITDelhi to establish a centre for sustainable mobility in partnership with @TransportDelhi @pravesh @kgahlot. Urban mobility problems to be addressed in partnership with academia," he said in a tweet. 

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said civic bodies and panchayats aided by the state government were placing a financial burden on the exchequer and these must make efforts to ramp up revenue. Speaking in the Assembly, the CM said, "Panchayats and municipalities should try to earn revenue. We will hold special training for their members after the panchayat polls (scheduled for August 10) on revenue generation and fund spending." The state government had formed the 15th Finance Commission and panchayats should spend the Rs 49.50 crore earmarked for them but also try to earn revenue. "Many municipalities are completely dependent on the state government for their funds without going for their own revenue generation. Municipalities are independent bodies, so they should also take care of their own financial requirements," he said. He also said his government would form a data analytics centre to collect data for the use of various departments.

A house on a hillock in Ambika Nagar area of Thane city was damaged after the soil beneath it caved in on Tuesday amid heavy rain, a civic official said. No was injured in the incident which took place at 4:25pm, Thane Municipal Corporation regional disaster management cell chief Avinash Sawant told PTI. "The structure has developed a crack. The occupants were rescued and shifted to a safe place. A team comprising fire brigade and RDMC personnel oversaw the relief operation at the site," he added. 

Four children were injured after a school van allegedly overturned in Delhi's Shahdara area on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The four children suffered minor injuries while others escaped unhurt, they said. Around 15 children belonging to the Green Field School were in the van at the time of the accident, which took place near GTB enclave here, police said. The van was taking the children home after school when the driver allegedly lost control of the wheel while taking a sharp turn following which the vehicle overturned. Locals rushed to help the children and all of them were rescued on time, police said. 

A 56-year-old police officer was killed and two personnel were injured when terrorists attacked a police team in the outskirts of the city on Tuesday, officials said. The incident took place around 7:15 pm when the terrorists fired at a police checkpoint in the Lal Bazar area, the officials said. They said Jammu and Kashmir Police assistant sub-inspector Mushtaq Ahmad was killed while head constable Fayaz Ahmad and SPO Abu Bakar were injured in the attack. The injured cops were rushed to a hospital where their condition is stated to be stable. The officials said a search operation has been launched in the area to nab the attackers.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Attorney General Suella Braverman are the two Indian-origin members of Parliament to make the initial shortlist of eight candidates in the race to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and British Prime Minister at the close of nominations on Tuesday evening. The others to make it on the ballot paper include Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt, former Cabinet ministers Kemi Badenoch and Jeremy Hunt and Tory backbencher Tom Tugendhat.

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Some unidentified people pelted stones at Shatabdi Express near Panipat, causing a crack in the windowpane of a berth occupied by Punjab Advocate General Anmol Rattan Sidhu who was returning after appearing in the Supreme Court in a case against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Police said Sidhu and his team of advocates escaped unhurt, but the AG spoke to the Punjab police chief and narrated him the details. The incident took place on Tuesday evening when Sidhu and his team were returning from the national capital in the Delhi-Chandigarh-Kalka Shatabdi train, a day after they appeared in the apex court.